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Apr 03, 2023 06:00am

The Bible Recap: Days 15-21

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(The following are reflections from the writer’s personal journey through The Bible Recap by Tara-Leigh Cobble – a Bible reading plan to read the Bible chronologically in one year. To learn more about The Bible Recap, visit thebiblerecap.com.)

Day 15: Read Job Chapters 40-42

My Takeaways:

We made it, friends! Great job! This was no easy task. Today, we read the last few chapters – they are huge!

Within a whirlwind, God continues speaking to Job, reminding him of who He is and the powerful creatures He has created. (Lots of theories on what these animals are. I think we are to note that they were the most powerful on land and in the sea at one time.) Again, they are reminders of His creation and His awesome power on display.

When Job submits to God, very humbly, God reprimands his three friends, noting they did not speak truth about him. (Interesting that Elihu isn’t among them!) He calls them to repent and offer sacrifices. Job will pray for their forgiveness. God will forgive them and not punish them, as they deserve. Then, he restores Job.

Though we might call this a “happy ending”, it’s not. It’s restoration. Job had to face the deepest of woes and loss to inherit it. He lived in brokenness and submitted to the only One who could put him back together, with scars that reminded him of where he had been and who his Redeemer is.

Friends, whatever pain you have, trust God through it. Remind yourself of the truths you are learning about His character, and wait upon Him. He will show up at just the right time. He can redeem your pain, and bring wholeness out of brokenness.

Day 16: Read Genesis Chapters 12-15

My Takeaways:

We are back to Genesis! Anyone else excited?

And we jump into a man’s story, and his descendants, that covers the next 39 chapters! So, let’s dig into Abram (later Abraham). He was living in a pagan land. Even though he had perhaps heard of God (Shem, Noah’s son, is in his bloodline), many sources I checked out indicated that he was most likely an unbeliever at the beginning of his story.

And, here’s my favorite part: God speaks to him and made promises to him. But, to activate these promises, Abram had to do something – he had to leave home and follow God’s lead. Wow – that is big! God loves getting us out of our comfort zones, trusting Him! And Abram does it. (Well, kind of…he took his Lot with him – he was supposed to leave his relatives). Again, huge themes of obedience already in this journey! (Adam, Eve, Noah…)

What I really like about Abram’s story is that God was so good to him, despite his mistakes. For example, if he trusted God to provide during the famine, the whole sister-wife think wouldn’t have happened in Egypt. (Like many of us, we get fearful and often try to figure things out on our own! I have been there many times.) But God intervened and got them back on track. (PS: this is where they got Hagar, Sarai’s slave…so this decision impacts them bigger than anyone would think!)

Even after this, God reaffirms His promise to Abram 2 more times! Each promise coming just when Abram needed to hear it! I feel like God is the same with us – He speaks to us and encourages us, just when we need to hear it.

In this reading, God is faithful to an imperfect Abram – He doesn’t give up on him! I love this. And, as we will find out, God will keep those promises to Abram. He is the ultimate Promise-Keeper!

Two cool things about today’s reading:

We also get a Jesus sighting with the Melchizedek – how neat is that?!

One last thing. In Genesis 15:6, it said the following: “Abram believed the Lord and He credited it to him as righteousness.” By now, Abram believed there was a God. But, this verse shows a little more…perhaps, it indicates that he believed in God. Perhaps this shows a heart change. Perhaps it shows he had faith. Some of the sources I read said that was when Abram became a believer. Either way, it was a turning point in their relationship because that was when God cut a covenant with him in a very dramatic way.

Day 17: Read Genesis Chapters 16-18

My Takeaways:

This day is not one of my favorites. (I get irritated at Abram.) But God’s fingerprints are all over it.

It’s been several years since God made His promise to make Abram a great nation, and Sarai is done waiting. (I mean, we all can understand her pain and heartbreak here…) She asks her husband to sleep with Hagar – Egyptian slave – to carry on the family name. (Remember that whole mistake with Abram in Egypt?! Hagar came into the clan then…)

The next verse said this: this happened after Abram lived in Canaan for 10 years.

It made me think…maybe it had been a while since God spoke to them? Maybe doubt had crept in? Maybe they were just doing what the culture around them were doing?

I am not justifying it by any means – but so many times, we can be the same way. We can start to doubt what God has told us and start living like the world around us. It may look different than Abram and Sarai, but they were impatient. I think we all can get that. (I just wished Abram would have put up a bigger fight to not be with Hagar and take her as his wife! Come on, Abram!)

And this, of course, causes problems with Hagar and Sarai when Hagar becomes pregnant (not a shocker). But, what I love is that God meets Hagar in her brokenness and blesser her baby. I think she was so touched by God that the whole “this man will be like a wild donkey” statement didn’t bother her. God spoke to her!

But, God is in the details – He speaks to Abram the 4^th time in his life, reassures them of their plan, and changes their names! The promise is about to be fulfilled, so there had to be some name changing and foreskin cutting first!

And, for those of us who can give way to doubt – Abraham and Sarah did, too! Upon hearing that they would give birth to a baby close to 100, they laughed. Oh friends, we sometimes give up on our dreams, too, and think, “it’s impossible!” God show them, and us, that anything is possible when it’s in His will! Their story isn’t over yet – God still has big plans for them.

If you are still waiting on a promise from God to be fulfilled, I get you! Me too! Stories like this remind us that we are on God’s timetable, not ours. That patience is blessed. That doubt can get us off track and cause problems. That anything is possible for he who believes.

Day 18: Read Genesis Chapters 19-21

My Takeaways:

Lots of action happened in today’s reading! And so many expressions of God’s character today. Here’s a quick recap:

Two angels
Lot’s offer
Gang of men
Lot’s family’s escape
Lot’s wife looked back
Fireballs and destruction
Weird moment with Lot and his daughters in a cave
Abraham’s repeated mistake (P.S.: I want Sarah’s genetics!)
Abimelech’s dream
Sarah got pregnant! (A 25 year old promise is fulfilled!)
Hagar and Ishmael get kicked out of the clan
Hagar’s weeping
God’s compassion and promise
Abraham’s covenant with Abimelech

Did any of these moment grab your heart or open your eyes?

Day 19: Read Genesis Chapters 22-24

My Takeaways:

God calls us to do things or make sacrifices for Him, but He always provides the ultimate sacrifice.
God is given His second name – Jehovah Jireh, God our Provider.

Day 20: Read Genesis Chapters 25-26

My Takeaways:

Control. Manipulation. Deception. Reliance upon ourselves rather than God.

If you just looked at these descriptions, you might not think much of the person doing them…but the person doing them is Jacob, a man blessed by God. Jacob manipulates situations to get what he wants.

What?! How is God blessing him?

Because God is faithful.

He made a promise to Abraham, Isaac, and now Jacob. Because God knows the end of the story, and it’s a story laced with grace. And spoiler alert: Jacob doesn’t always live this way.

Listen, we aren’t so different from Jacob…

Anytime we try to control a situation… Anytime we have given way to a lie to stay out of trouble or get what we want… Anytime we rely upon ourselves instead of God… We are like our friend, Jacob.

And thank God, He is patient to Jacob amid his sin and faults. Because He is patient and grace-filled to us amid our sin as well.

So, let’s dig into the story of this heel-grasper and see how God works on his heart in such a way, his walk with God will be forever different. Literally and figuratively.

Day 21: Read Genesis Chapters 27-29

My Takeaways:

This story of Jacob blows me away. You have a man who deceives to get what he wants (his mother played a part as well). God is still faithful to him and Isaac and Abraham. He makes a beautiful promise to Jacob in his dream. And, Jacob even makes a vow to God after he has a dream about a ladder to heaven. “If God does ______, and I return back to my father’s house, then the Lord will be my God.”

So, at this point, it seems like Jacob is not a believer of Yahweh yet…and God continues to work in his life. God pursues a man who deceives and then bargains to believe.

I don’t know, friends, but it just grabs my heart: we cannot out-sin God. He sees our hearts and He knows Jacob’s heart. Jacob the Deceiver is not the end of the story. And He saw Leah’s heart and blessed her, too.

A few questions/notes to think about:

Did Rebekah carry out God’s will that was prophesied to her by God when she sent Jacob to swindle Esau’s blessing? Or, did she not trust God and took matters into her own hands?
Did anyone feel sorry for Esau? When he heard his father’s desire for Jacob to marry someone in the clan, he went out and did just that. It grabbed my attention – like he was still wanted to earn his dad’s favor. (He also had the rough blessed from his dad!)
So interesting how family traits and tendencies are “passed down”, like deception (in this family’s story) and meeting future wives at wells!